As the day wore on, all pretence was shed. The Government's main manager, Pramod Mahajan, disappeared. His second-in-command, P R Kumaramangalam, spent more time in Central Hall than in the House. And on the other side, non-MPs like Arjun Singh and Harkishen Singh Surjeet were hard at work somewhere in the city.

It was clear that the fate of the 12th Lok Sabha was being decided elsewhere, its future linked to deals, its survival dependent on power brokers. The passion of Mandal was dead, Hindutva had lost its punch and the Third Front lay shattered.

``The Left has left us in the lurch,'' lamented Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Murasoli Maran. As word spread about his statement to a television crew, government supporters quickly added six DMK MPs to theirlists.

``Elections suit us the most,'' declared Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Arif Mohammed Khan. Was it a signal for abstention? Both sides subtracted five BSP MPs from their totals.

All day long, the game went on. The Government and the Opposition flaunted different numbers. Mediapersons did their own calculations. When the Lok Sabha adjourned for the day, the consensus was touch-and-go, fifty-fifty.

Curiously, there was no interest in the composition of an alternative government. The only question on everyone's lips was -- will the Vajpayee Government survive?

With the government's fate hanging in a balance, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) put all files on hold. Nothing would be cleared till the vote, said an aide. The Home Minister's office stuck to routine matters, sanctioning the visit of a delegation, answering letters, etc. Policy decisions would have to await the green signal from the Lok Sabha.

Although the Government remained hopeful, the signs of exit were there. The favour-seekerswere missing, the hangers-on had disappeared. The offices of the Vajpayee-Advani duo were eerily silent.

Ironically, the Opposition camp was equally listless. The Congress briefing was over in two minutes flat. There was nothing to say. The Janata Dal parliamentary party office was deserted.

There was more interest in the Sonia-Jaya meeting at 10, Janpath. As the magic hour approached, Parliament quickly emptied and the fence-sitters went home to wait for a signal from the two women who have rocked Vajpayee's boat.

By stretching the confidence debate over three days, both sides have given themselves more hunting time. Clearly, neither side is assured of the numbers its needs and for the next two days, every MP is a potential king-maker.

The Government has the advantage and it is using it. Chautala has been offered two berths in a Cabinet expansion. But the buzz is he wants the chief ministership of Haryana.

The BSP has asked for Kalyan Singh's head. The BJP is trying to negotiate on the innumerablecases filed by the Uttar Pradesh Government against Mayawati and her supporters.

George Fernandes is using the carrot-and-stick approach with his disgruntled Samata MPs -- a lavish dinner last night and a warning of a legal suit against Kalpanath Rai who yesterday threatened to break ranks.

As the desperation mounts in the BJP camp and the bidding gets higher, insiders today predicted that Vajpayee would have to go in for a jumbo Cabinet if his government survived this crisis. He must be wondering whether it is worth winning this battle.